Space Shuttle Discovery's Legacy: 26 Years of the Right Stuff Space Shuttle Discovery's Legacy: 26 Years of the Right Stuff By Robert Z. Pearlman, collectSPACE.com Editor | October 29, 2010 07:26am ET MORE This illustration depicts NASA's space shuttle Discovery encircled by the mission patches from each of its 39 missions, from STS-41D to STS-133, to display its long legacy as NASA's most-flown orbiter. The shuttle is flying its 39th and last flight in February/March 2011. Credit: NASA This story was updated at 10:33 a.m. ET. Space shuttle Discovery is set to launch on its final flight next week, concluding a nearly three-decade legacy as arguably the most historic orbiter in NASA's fleet. The first of NASA?s three remaining shuttles set to retire, Discovery was the third orbiter built and the one launched the most times into space. Its final mission, STS-133, is scheduled to launch Tuesday (Nov. 2) at 4:17 p.m.

EDT (2017 GMT). The launch will mark the Discovery's 13th visit to the International Space Station (ISS) and its 39th trip into space. ?This particular orbiter has served us extremely well,? said launch director Mike Leinbach, comparing Discovery to its sister ships Atlantis and Endeavour. ?It is the fleet leader. It is going to be hard to see her retire but we need to do what we need to do for the agency and so we'll get on with her final flight and it make it the best one ever.? [Video: Legacy of Shuttle Discovery] Discovery will deliver to the station the Permanent Multi-Purpose Logistic Module (PMM), the last U.S. room to be added to the orbiting laboratory to serve as a storage closet for the station?s supplies and spare equipment. Also on board is Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot to fly in space designed to assist astronauts inside and eventually outside the outpost. Scheduled to last 11 days, Discovery?s last flight will bring its total time in space to more than 360 days ? nearly an entire year flying around Earth.

?It will have flown about a year on orbit by the time we are done with it, which is pretty remarkable for a space shuttle,? said Discovery's commander Steven Lindsey, who is making his third flight on the storied space plane. A historic ?year? in space Discovery was built between 1979 and 1983 and made its maiden flight on Aug. 30, 1984, from NASA?s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. But before it could depart on the six-day STS-41D mission, Discovery experienced the shuttle program?s first pad abort. A first launch try, attempted two months earlier, ended just four seconds before liftoff. Discovery?s three main engines shut down, which was then followed by a hydrogen fire on the pad. "Gee, I thought we?d be a lot higher at MECO!? radioed mission specialist Steve Hawley from onboard the shuttle at the time, referencing NASA's term for main engine cutoff. Discovery flew to space five more times? mostly to deploy satellites ? before standing down after the shuttle Challenger accident in January 1986. Two years later, Discovery was the first orbiter to return to flight.

Returning NASA's shuttle fleet to flight after a major tragedy is a role Discovery served again 17 years later, in 2005, following the 2003 loss of the orbiter Columbia. ?It was the pathfinder as we put new systems in place, new safety features,? said launch integration manager Mike Moses. A legacy of space firsts Between its STS-26 mission in 1988 and STS-114 return to flight in 2005, Discovery logged 23 more trips to space, making history along the way. ?Quite a remarkable history for Discovery, it's had a whole bunch of firsts,? Moses said. Among those firsts was the first Russian cosmonaut aboard a U.S. mission, the first rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir, the first female pilot and the first crew rotation for the International Space Station. Discovery also set the record for flying the oldest crew member in history ? 77-year-old Mercury-astronaut-turned-U.S.-senator John Glenn ? and recorded the highest altitude reached by any shuttle mission.

That shuttle altitude record was set in 1997 during a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, a payload it first deployed into orbit seven years earlier. Discovery, NASA?s oldest shuttle still in service, was instrumental to the assembly of the International Space Station, delivering the largest module ? Japan?s Kibo laboratory ? and the final segment for the outpost?s ?backbone? truss, among other components. By the numbers Over the course of its 26 years in service, Discovery has racked up an impressive set of statistics unmatched by any other spacecraft in history. As it stands today before flying on STS-133, Discovery has logged 142,917,535 miles circling the Earth a total of 5,628 times. It has carried 183 astronauts and cosmonauts to and from space, filling 246 seats on 38 missions. And Discovery docked with space stations 13 times: once with the Mir outpost and 12 times with the ISS. All these numbers add up to a historic legacy, STS-133 mission specialist Nicole Stott said.

?It is an historic thing, I think, that we have such a special vehicle to fly. In addition to the hope we will have a successful mission, in conclusion we will be celebrating the real significance of the vehicle itself,? she said. ?We have to look at this [STS-133 mission] as a celebration of just how wonderful Discovery has performed and just how fantastic a team that has put it together and worked to make it happen.? Video ? Space Shuttle Discovery: A Retrospective, Part 2, Part 3 GRAPHIC: Meet Robonaut 2: NASA's Space Droid, Robonaut 2 Photo Gallery Space Shuttle fleet / Space Shuttle / Human Spaceflight / Our Activities / ESA ESA > Our Activities > Human Spaceflight > Space Shuttle Space Shuttle fleet The Space Shuttle was the first reusable spacecraft, making it possible to build a fleet of vehicles that were launched and then refurbished after landing for their next missions. Starting with Columbia and continuing with Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, the spacecraft has carried people into orbit repeatedly, launched, recovered and repaired satellites, conducted research and built the largest structure in space, the International Space Station.

The five Orbiters have accumulated (before the last flight of Atlantis) on 134 missions 1316 days 19 hours 24 minutes 43 seconds in flight and made 20 958 orbits of Earth. The Shuttles docked with Russia’s Mir space station nine times and flew to International Space Station 36 times – Atlantis is making the 37th visit. Enterprise The first Space Shuttle (Orbital Vehicle 101, OV-101) was not built for space missions: it was used for unpowered test flights at NASA's Dryden Test Flight Center at the Edwards Air Force Base in California. The Shuttle was lifted atop a modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft and made five test flights totalling 19 minutes of free flight. The first flight was made on 12 August 1977 and the last on 26 October of the same year. Enterprise is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington DC, USA. When Discovery replaces it at the museum, Enterprise will be moved to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York.

Columbia Columbia (OV-102) was the first Shuttle to fly to space and as the oldest member of the fleet it was slightly heavier than its successors, which benefited from advances in technology. The first four flights of Columbia put the spacecraft through its paces. It was equipped with ejection seats, activated for the test flights and removed after the ninth flight. Columbia was destroyed during reentry on 1 February 2003 when it was coming back to home from STS-107, its 28th flight. The seven astronauts died in the accident, one of the reasons which brought about the end of the Space Shuttle programme. Columbia spent 300 days 17 hours 46 minutes 42 seconds in space, completed 4808 orbits, and flew 201 497 772 km. Challenger Challenger started its career as Structural Test Article STA-099. After studying the work needed to make Enterprise space-worthy , NASA calculated that it was less expensive to rebuild STA-099 as OV-099.

Challenger made its first flight on the STS-6 mission in April 1983 and became the workhorse of NASA's fleet during the early years of Shuttle operations: Challenger flew on 85% of all missions up to 1985. Challenger was destroyed during the launch of its tenth mission, on 28 January 1986, killing all seven members of the crew. It completed nine flights before the last ill-fated launch, totalling 62 days 07 hours 56 minutes 15 seconds. Challenger orbited Earth 995 times. Discovery Discovery (OV-103) was the hardest-working Shuttle, with 39 successful missions during 27 years of service since its debut in August 1984. It was the third operational vehicle following Columbia and Challenger, and had the honour of delivering the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. It was the Shuttle tasked with the two ‘return to flight’ missions after the Challenger and Columbia accidents. Discovery was officially decommissioned after the STS-133 mission last February. After months of preparation, it will be handed over to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.

Discovery will replace Enterprise at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia, near Washington Dulles Airport. Discovery made 5830 orbits and spent in total more than a year on missions: 365 days 12 hours 53 minutes 34 seconds. Atlantis Atlantis (OV-104) was the fourth vehicle. Since October 1985 it has flown 32 missions and will make the last, STS-135. In 1989, it deployed Magellan to Venus and Galileo to Jupiter; it lofted the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory to orbit in 1991. Atlantis was the first Shuttle to dock with a space station, when it linked up with Russia’s Mir in 1995. It also delivered Europe’s Columbus laboratory to the International Space Station in 2008. According to statistics, Atlantis was built in about half the time it took to complete the first operational craft, Columbia. Atlantis has had the fewest technical problems. After its last flight, it will be handed over to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for display.

Before STS-135, Atlantis has accumulated 293 days 18 hours 29 minutes 37 seconds in flight, and circled Earth 4648 times. Endeavour Endeavour (OV-105) is the youngest fleet member, making its maiden voyage in May 1992. It was built as a replacement for Challenger (lost in 1986) using the spare structural parts of Discovery and Atlantis. It was the first Shuttle at the International Space Station, in 1998, delivering Node-1, the Station’s first US element. Endeavour flew its final mission last May, STS-134, and it has been decommissioned. Its Canadarm will be sent to Canada, and the Shuttle itself will be given to the California Science Center in Los Angeles – not far from Palmdale, where it was built, and Edwards Air Force Base, the second landing strip for returning Shuttles. Endeavour completed 25 missions with 4677 orbits and spent in total 296 days 2 hours 18 minutes 35 seconds in flight.

Rate this Space Shuttle Discovery By-the-Numbers: Nearly 27 Years as NASA's Space Workhorse Space Shuttle Discovery By-the-Numbers: Nearly 27 Years as NASA's Space Workhorse <a href='mailto:tmalik@space.com'>Tariq Malik</a><br />, SPACE.com Managing Editor<br /><a href="" >Space.com</a> Pin it Share NASA's space shuttle Discovery may be hanging up its wings after one last mission, but it will leave a long legacy of performance in orbit that will be a challenge for any future spacecraft to match. Discovery is NASA's oldest flying space shuttle and the most traveled winged spaceship in the fleet. It has flown more missions, and carried more astronaut crewmembers, than any of NASA's other shuttles, agency officials have said. The shuttle is flying its final mission – STS-133 – before being retired along with the rest of NASA's orbiters later this year. The 11-day mission launches today (Feb. 24) and will deliver a new storage room and humanoid robot to the International Space Station.

[ Gallery: Building Space Shuttle Discovery ] "Discovery has been a really remarkable vehicle for us and the program," NASA test director Jeff Spaulding told reporters this week. "She still has a few more miles to go before she sleeps, though." Here's a by-the-numbers look at Discovery's lasting legacy in space that, according to NASA, will cement the shuttle's place in the fleet's record books: 143 million: The number of miles Discovery has traveled so far, with one flight remaining. This is a distance record unmatched among NASA's space shuttle fleet . The miles traveled by Discovery could have carried it to the moon and back 288 times, or on 1 1/2 trips to the sun. 40,000: The number of spectators NASA reportedly anticipated to have watching Discovery's final launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. 17,400: The speed at which Discovery travels (in miles per hour) to remain in orbit. It's about Mach 25, or five times the speed of a bullet. 5,628: The number of orbits Discovery has flown around the Earth.

During spaceflight, Discovery completes one orbit around Earth every 90 minutes. 1984: The year Discovery blasted off on its maiden space voyage. Discovery's first flight was NASA's STS-41D mission, which launched on Aug. 30 carrying three communications satellites and an experimental solar array wing. The mission was commanded by astronaut Henry Hartsfield. 363: The number of cumulative days Discovery will have flown in space by the end of its career. Altogether, that's just over 51 weeks. Put another way, if you were to string all of Discovery's mission's together into one mission, the shuttle would be in space for almost an entire year. 246: The number of crewmembers Discovery has carried during its space career so far. According to NASA, Discovery has been the ultimate space taxi and carried the most astronauts of any shuttle. 39: The number of missions Discovery will have flown by the time it is retired. 13: The number of times Discovery will have docked with the International Space Station after it is retired. 5: The number of astronauts that marked a first-ever in space when they flew on Discovery.

According to NASA, they include: the first female to ever pilot a spacecraft ( former astronaut Eileen Collins ); the oldest person to fly in space (former astronaut John Glenn); the first African-American to perform a spacewalk (former astronaut Bernard Harris); the first cosmonaut to fly on an American spacecraft (Russian spaceflyer Sergei Krikalev); and the first sitting member of Congress to fly in space (former Utah Senator Jake Garn). 4: The number of years it took to build the space shuttle Discovery . The shuttle was completed in October 1983 in Palmdale, Calif., and was shipped a month later to NASA piggyback atop the agency's modified Boeing 747 shuttle carrier craft. Four is also the maximum number of times the shuttle has flown in space in a single year. In 1985, Discovery set the bar for number of flights by one orbiter in one year. 3: The number of satellites Discovery carried during its first launch. Discovery was also NASA's third space shuttle built for orbital flight. It was built after the shuttles Columbia and Challenger. 2: The number of return-to-flight missions Discovery has flown to help NASA resume shuttle flights.

Discovery was the shuttle that flew the STS-26 mission two years after the loss of shuttle Challenger and its crew during launch on Jan. 28, 1986. The shuttle also flew the STS-114 mission that followed the 2003 loss of shuttle Columbia and its seven-astronaut crew. That mission launched in July 2005. 1: The number of actual dockings with Russia's Space Station Mir. Discovery actually visited the Mir station twice. It was the first U.S. shuttle to rendezvous with (but not dock at) Mir in 1995. Its second and last trip to Mir was in 1998, when it actually linked up with the Russian space station. You can follow SPACE.com Managing Editor Tariq Malik on Twitter @tariqjmalik . Staff writer Denise Chow ( @denisechow ) is providing mission coverage of Discovery's final space voyage from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

NASA Readies Endeavour Shuttle as Discovery Returns Home | Fox News NASA Readies Endeavour Shuttle as Discovery Returns Home Published March 09, 2011 Facebook 0 Twitter 0 livefyre Email Print Backdropped by Earth's horizon and the blackness of space, space shuttle Discovery and its remote manipulator system/orbiter boom sensor system (RMS/OBSS) is featured in this image photographed by an STS-133 crew member while docked with the International Space Station on March 6, 2011 during the shuttle's last flight, STS-133. (NASA) In the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shuttle Endeavour is lowered into place where it is being attached to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, already positioned on the mobile launcher platform. The shuttle is slated to launch its final mission STS-134 on April 19, 2011.

(NASA/Kim Shiflett) Previous Next Space shuttle Endeavour -- the baby of NASA's orbiter fleet -- is poised to roll out to its Florida launch pad today to prepare for its last mission, a move that will come just hours after the shuttle Discovery returns home from a last flight of its own. Endeavour is due to head out to the seaside shuttle launch pad at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral tonight at 8 p.m. EST (0100 March 10), about eight hours after Discovery's scheduled landing at a nearby runway. The only potential threat is the weather. An overnight storm expected at the space center could slow or postpone Endeavour's launch pad trip , space center officials said NASA will televise and webcast Discovery's landing at 11:57 a.m. EST (1457 GMT) and Endeavor's last launch pad move live on its NASA TV channel. It should be a rare sight: There's Discovery, NASA's oldest flying shuttle returning to Earth after 13 days flying one final voyage before being retired, setting the stage for Endeavour, the fleet's youngest shuttle gearing up to launch its own final mission on April 19.

Double shuttle sightings The crews of both space shuttles are expected to discuss their respective missions with reporters today. Discovery's STS-133 crew will recap their historic flight on Discovery's last mission. Endeavour's STS-134 crew will host a preview of what their April flight holds in store. "Clearly it's a demonstrable changing of the guard," NASA spokesman Allard Beutel told SPACE.com. "Literally, we're at a point where the STS-133 astronauts will be talking with reporters, and then can almost high-five the next group (Endeavour's astronauts) as they come in to talk." NASA's 30-year-old space shuttle program has turned a corner with Discovery's last mission, which marks the beginning of the end for all three of the agency's flying reusable space planes. Discovery's next stop will be a museum and the same fate awaits Endeavour and the shuttle Atlantis, which is slated to fly its last mission in late June. Endeavour's STS-134 mission is a planned 14-day mission and includes four spacewalks.

The primary goal is to deliver a $1.5 billion astrophysics experiment called the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer to the International Space Station. The spectrometer is a powerful tool for studying cosmic rays and searching for antimatter, NASA officials have said. The mission is commanded by veteran NASA astronaut Mark Kelly , the husband of Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the head received during a January shooting spree by a gunman in Tucson. Giffords is making progress and Kelly has said he hopes she will be able to attend Endeavour's launch. Endeavour shuttle fans welcome NASA expects thousands of spectators (mostly shuttle program employees and their families) to turn out for Endeavour's slow launch pad trek. The 100-ton shuttle, now standing vertical and attached to its rocket boosters and fuel tank, will be hauled to Launch Pad 39A atop a massive crawler carrier that was originally built for the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and 1970s. It should take about six hours for Endeavour to cross the 3.4 miles (5.4 kilometers) to the launch pad.

More than 3,000 people watched Discovery roll out to the launch pad overnight on Jan. 31 for its current flight. Discovery launched on Feb. 24 and spent more than a week linked to the International Space Station while its crew delivered a new storage room and robot. For Endeavour's last trip to the launch pad, NASA has issued more than 900 family passes to shuttle program employees. The move is part of an ongoing project to give employees a chance to soak in major milestones before the shuttle program ends for good. Beutel said everything now depends on good weather for tonight's rollout. NASA space shuttles are particularly vulnerable during the short trip between the cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building – a 52-story building where shuttles are attached to their rocket boosters and fuel tanks – and the launch pad, which has a shell-like service structure to shield orbiters from foul weather. Beutel said strong winds, lightning and rain are the major concerns for Endeavour. "Basically we don't want to be moving the shuttle at those times," Beutel said. "It can be safely in the Vehicle Assembly Building or on the launch pad.

It's that 3.4-mile distance in between we need to be concerned about." collectSPACE - news - "A tradition of Discovery: NASA's most-flown space shuttle upholds legacy on final flight" related space history websites A tradition of Discovery: NASA's most-flown space shuttle upholds legacy on final flight NASA's tribute art for space shuttle Discovery depicting OV-103 and its 39 mission patches. Click here to enlarge . (NASA) November 1, 2010 — Space shuttle Discovery is ready to launch on its final flight this week, concluding a nearly 30 year legacy as arguably the most historic among NASA's fleet of orbiters. The first of NASA's three remaining shuttles set to retire, Discovery was the third built and the one most frequently flown. Its final mission, STS-133, is scheduled to lift off Nov. 3 at 3:52 p.m. EDT. The launch will mark Discovery's 13th flight to the International Space Station (ISS) and its 39th trip into space. "This particular orbiter has served us extremely well," said launch director Mike Leinbach, comparing Discovery to its sister ships Atlantis and Endeavour.

"It is the fleet leader. It is going to be hard to see her retire but we need to do what we need to do for the agency and so we'll get on with her final flight and it make it the best one ever." Discovery will deliver to the station the Permanent Multi- Purpose Logistic Module (PMM), the last U.S. room to be added to the orbiting lab to serve as a storage closet for the station's supplies and spare equipment. Also onboard is Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot designed to assist astronauts inside and eventually outside the outpost. An historic "year" in space Scheduled to last 11 days, Discovery's last flight will bring its total time in space to more than 360 days -- nearly an entire year orbiting the Earth. "It will have flown about a year on orbit by the time we are done with it, which is pretty remarkable for a space shuttle," said STS-133 commander Steven Lindsey, who is making his third flight on the orbiter. Discovery launches on its maiden mission, STS-41D. (NASA) Discovery was built between 1979 and 1983 and made its maiden flight on Aug.

30, 1984 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Before it could depart on the six day STS-41D mission however, Discovery experienced the shuttle program's first pad abort. A first launch attempt held two months earlier, ended just four seconds before liftoff. Discovery's three main engines shut down, which was then followed by a hydrogen fire on the pad. "Gee, I thought we'd be a lot higher at MECO!" radioed mission specialist Steve Hawley from onboard the shuttle at the time, referencing the term for main engine cutoff. Discovery successfully flew five more missions -- mostly to deploy satellites -- before standing down in the wake of the shuttle Challenger accident in January 1986. Two years later, Discovery was the first orbiter to return to flight. Returning NASA's shuttle fleet to flight after a major tragedy is a role Discovery served again 17 years later, in 2005, following the 2003 loss of the orbiter Columbia. "It was the pathfinder as we put new systems in place, new safety features," said Mike Moses, NASA's launch integration manager.

A legacy of space firsts Between its STS-26 mission in 1988 and STS-114 return to flight in 2005, Discovery logged 23 more trips to space, making history along the way. "Quite a remarkable history for Discovery, it's had a whole bunch of firsts," Moses said. Among those firsts was the first Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard a U.S. mission, the first rendezvous with Russia's space station Mir, the first female pilot and the first crew rotation for the International Space Station. Discovery also set the record for flying the oldest crew member in history -- 77-year-old Mercury astronaut-turned- U.S. senator John Glenn -- and flew to the highest altitude reached by any shuttle mission. That latter record was set in 1997 on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope, a payload it first deployed into orbit seven years earlier. Discovery, NASA's oldest shuttle still in service, was also instrumental to the assembly of the International Space Station, delivering the largest module -- Japan's Kibo lab -- and the final segment for the outpost's "backbone" truss, among other components.

By the numbers Over the course of its 26 years in service, Discovery has racked up an impressive set of statistics unmatched by any other spacecraft in history. As it stands today prior to flying on STS-133, Discovery has logged 142,917,535 miles circling the Earth a total of 5,628 times. It has carried 183 astronauts and cosmonauts to and from space, filling 246 seats on 38 missions. And Discovery docked with space stations 13 times: once with the Mir outpost and 12 times with the ISS. All these numbers add up to a lasting historic legacy, said STS-133 mission specialist Nicole Stott. "It is an historic thing I think, that we have such a special vehicle to fly. In addition to the hope we will have a successful mission, in conclusion we will be celebrating the real significance of the vehicle itself," she said. "We have to look at this [mission] as a celebration of just how wonderful Discovery has performed and just how fantastic a team that has put it together and worked to make it happen." © 2017 collectSPACE.com All rights reserved.

NASA Discusses Launch Options for Shuttle Discovery's Final Flight NASA Discusses Launch Options for Shuttle Discovery's Final Flight By Denise Chow, SPACE.com Staff Writer | February 18, 2011 09:39am ET MORE Space shuttle Discovery stands at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 1, 2011 following its rollout from the Vehicle Assembly Building. The shuttle is due to launch on its final mission on Feb. 24. Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett It's almost time for the final voyage of NASA's space shuttle Discovery. Top NASA officials are meeting today (Feb. 18) to set an official launch date for Discovery's last mission – which is slated to blast off next week. After months of delays, mission managers are conducting one final review to make sure the space shuttle Discovery , its six-astronaut crew, and the conditions at its destination – the International Space Station – are in order for the launch of Discovery's on her 39th and final flight. The shuttle is currently slated to lift off on Thursday, Feb. 24.

[ Infographic: NASA's Space Shuttle – From Top to Bottom ] A big item on the review docket is whether adjustments need to be made to Discovery's launch schedule to accommodate other cargo craft heading to the orbiting outpost. The European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle-2 launched Wednesday (Feb. 16) from the northeast coast of South America after a one-day delay due to a technical glitch. The ATV-2, called the Johannes Kepler, is now in the midst of an eight-day journey to the space station to deliver about 7.1 tons (6,400 kilograms) of supplies. Discovery is targeted to liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Feb. 24, the same day that the ATV-2 Johannes Kepler is now scheduled to arrive and dock at the space station. Space traffic control Initially, NASA officials thought the space traffic jam would force mission planners to delay Discovery's launch by one day – to Feb. 25. But, NASA officials announced Wednesday (Feb. 16) via Twitter that the launch of Discovery's STS-133 mission will not necessarily be moved.

This was also confirmed early on in today's meeting, where live updates are being provided through Twitter. "Shuttle program, Mission Ops flight directors and all [Flight Readiness Review] attendees agree STS-133 can launch 6 hours after ATV docks on Feb. 24," NASA officials reported this morning via Twitter. Discovery's STS-133 mission is an 11-day flight to deliver a humanoid robot and a new storage room to the International Space Station. The mission has already been delayed months because of fuel tank problems. It will be the final flight of shuttle Discovery before NASA retires its three-orbiter fleet later this year. Meanwhile, the astronauts who will fly aboard Discovery enjoyed a day off yesterday before entering quarantine in advance of the launch. Space photo op Last week, space shuttle program managers met and unanimously agreed to proceed toward the orbiter's targeted launch. Officials also discussed the possibility of adding a bonus photo session to the flight, in which the Russian Soyuz capsule will undock from the space station and fly around to snap photographs of Discovery while the ship is docked to the fully completed orbiting lab.

The unique photo opportunity is being discussed during today's Flight Readiness Review (FRR), but the latest Twitter update from the meeting confirmed that a final decision on the matter will not be made prior to Discovery's launch. "All partners will have a vehicle docked to ISS during STS-133 - decision for Soyuz fly about for pics will be made during flight," NASA officials said via Twitter. The results of today's Flight Readiness Review, including Discovery's official launch date and time, will be announced during an afternoon press conference that will be broadcast live on NASA TV. NASA is retiring its three-shuttle fleet this year after 30 years of spaceflight to make way for new exploration plans that call for sending astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars in the 2030s. Once the shuttle fleet retires, NASA will rely on unmanned spacecraft built by Europe, Russia and Japan to deliver cargo to the space station until American-built commercial spacecraft become available. A gap of several years in U.S. human spaceflight capability is also expected. The U.S. agency will use Russian Soyuz spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the orbiting laboratory until American commercial crew vehicles are ready.

Space shuttle Discovery is NASA's oldest space shuttle still in operation. Its final voyage to the space station will be NASA's 133rd space shuttle mission since the fleet began flying into orbit in April 1981. You can follow SPACE.com Staff Writer Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow . Editor's Recommendations The 3 Most Flown Space Shuttles of NASA's Fleet The 3 Most Flown Space Shuttles of NASA's Fleet <a href=' Chow</a>, SPACE.com Staff Writer<br /><a href="" >Space.com</a> Pin it Share SPACE.com is counting down to the launch of NASA's last space shuttle mission, STS-135 aboard Atlantis. Coming Wednesday: The Only 2 Female Space Shuttle Commanders. Over the course of 30 years, NASA's space shuttles have played a critical role in constructing the International Space Station, launching and servicing satellites and observatories in orbit, and delivering astronauts and many tons of cargo into space. As the agency prepares to launch Atlantis this Friday (July 8) on the very last mission of the program, here's a look at NASA's three most flown space shuttles: Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour.

Currently, through 134 flights, NASA's five orbiters have combined for a staggering total of 537,114,016 miles (864,401,218 kilometers) traveled and have logged 1,320 days in space. [ 8 Surprising Space Shuttle Facts ] The agency tragically lost two of its shuttles – Challenger and Columbia – in accidents that stunned the nation. Since 2003, NASA has maintained a three-orbiter fleet. Challenger broke apart 73 seconds after launch on Jan. 28, 1986, at the beginning of the orbiter's 10th flight. Seven astronauts died in a horrific accident caused by a faulty seal on one of the shuttle's twin solid rocket boosters, which was aggravated by exceptionally cold weather. NASA lost the shuttle Columbia and its seven-astronaut crew on Feb. 1, 2003, as the orbiter attempted to return home at the end of its 28th flight – the STS-107 mission.

An investigation later revealed that a piece of foam insulation from Columbia's fuel tank broke off during launch and impacted the orbiter's left wing. The shuttle's damaged heat shield failed to protect the vehicle as it reentered Earth's atmosphere, and Columbia broke apart as it flew over Texas. Both catastrophes brought NASA's space shuttle program to a temporary halt as operations and safety procedures were modified. Yet, the accidents helped shape the agency's future, and the shuttle program would go on to persevere through the misfortunes. [ Space Planes: Evolution of the Winged Spaceship ] NASA's fleet leader: Discovery Discovery, the veteran of the fleet, is NASA's oldest and most traveled shuttle. After 27 years and 39 flights, Discovery has logged 365 days — a full year — in space, and journeyed 148,221,675 miles (238,539,663 km). Over its career, Discovery also made 5,830 orbits of the Earth. Discovery made its maiden launch on the STS-41D mission in August 1984.

The workhorse orbiter lifted off on its final flight, STS-133, on Feb. 24, 2011. The busy 13-day mission to the International Space Station capped off Discovery's prolific career, which includes the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope in April 1990. Discovery was the first shuttle to visit the International Space Station in May 1999, and would return to the outpost another 12 times. NASA's fleet leader also performed both return-to-flight missions after the shuttle program was grounded following the losses of Challenger and Columbia. "I think the legacy that this shuttle has made for herself is just nothing short than cause for celebration," STS-133 mission specialist Michael Barratt said during Discovery's final flight. "Just something that our country should be very, very proud of." Discovery was the first of NASA's space shuttles to be retired . The orbiter landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time on March 9. Following a months-long decommissioning process, Discovery will eventually be placed on public display at the SmithsonianNational Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington, D.C.

Rounding out the shuttle program legacy - Atlantis Atlantis is NASA's second most flown orbiter, and is the vehicle that will bring the agency's iconic shuttle program to a close at the end of its STS-135 mission. Atlantis was first launched on Oct. 3, 1985 on the STS-51J mission. [ Counting Down to NASA's Last Shuttle Flight ] Up to and including its most recent flight, STS-132, Atlantis has traveled 120,650,907 miles (194,168,813 km). The orbiter has made 4,648 orbits of the Earth and to date, has spent 293 days, 18 hours, 29 minutes in space. Atlantis' STS-135 mission will be the orbiter's 33rd flight, and will tack on 12 days and many more miles to these current figures.

Among Atlantis' many accomplishments, the shuttle made the first docking to the Russian Mir space station in June 1995, delivered the space station's Destiny laboratory, Columbus laboratory and Quest airlock and portions of the station's backbone-like truss. Atlantis' STS-125 mission, which launched on May 11, 2009, was also the last flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope. "I looked a little bit into Atlantis' history and it's very interesting," Atlantis' STS-135 commander Chris Ferguson said in a preflight interview.

"It was actually the most frequent visitor to Mir; I didn’t know that we had a Phase 1 program in the ’90s where we visited the Russian Mir space station and Atlantis made seven of the 11 trips back and forth, so Atlantis really became the cornerstone of docking operations with an orbiting space vehicle, and of course it factored heavily into the construction of the International Space Station; last Hubble servicing mission; there's a lot of claims to fame for Atlantis, and we’ll try to send her off in good fashion." Following its STS-135 mission, Atlantis will be showcased at the visitor center at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. NASA's good ship Endeavour Endeavour is the youngest shuttle in NASA's orbiter fleet, and was built as a replacement for Challenger. The shuttle flew 25 missions over the course of its spaceflying career, logging a total of 122,883,151 miles (197,761,261 km) on its odometer. Endeavour launched on its maiden flight, STS-49, on May 7, 1992.

Its most recent mission, STS-134, was the agency's second-to-last shuttle flight , making Endeavour the second orbiter in NASA's fleet to be retired. NASA's youngest shuttle launched on its 25th and final mission on May 16, 2011 to deliver extra supplies and a $2 billion astrophysics experiment to the International Space Station. Endeavour landed at Kennedy Space Center for the final time on June 1. Over the course of 25 missions, Endeavour made 12 visits to the space station and delivered and attached the station's first U.S. segment, the Unity node, in December 1998. "It's very bittersweet," pilot Greg Johnson said in an in-flight interview during Endeavour's STS-134 flight. "I just love this vehicle. I fell in love with this vehicle the first time I got to fly, three years ago on STS-123.

This vehicle is a wonderful machine and it's an honor and a privilege for each one of us to be a part of her final flight." At the end of its career, Endeavour recorded 299 days in space, and made 4,671 orbits of the Earth. Endeavour is now being prepared for its future on display at a museum. The orbiter has been promised to the California Science Center in Los Angeles. You can follow SPACE.com Staff Writer Denise Chow on Twitter @denisechow . Visit SPACE.com for complete coverage of Atlantis' final mission STS-135 or follow us @Spacedotcom and on Facebook .

Shuttle Discovery glides to final landing (UPDATED) | STS-133, Space News, Space Science, International Space Station Shuttle Discovery glides to final landing (UPDATED) Posted at 12:30 PM, 03/09/11 Update: Shuttle Discovery glides to final landing Updated at 02:15 PM, 03/09/11: Bolden welcomes crew home; Lindsey thanks ground crews Updated at 05:30 PM, 03/09/11: Posting additional landing pictures By WILLIAM HARWOOD CBS News KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL--Enduring the heat of re-entry one last time, the shuttle Discovery dropped out of orbit and returned to Earth Wednesday to wrap up a near-flawless 39th and final mission, a milestone marking the beginning of the end for NASA's winged rocketships. After firing its twin braking rockets for a computer-controlled descent halfway around the planet, commander Steven Lindsey took over manual control and guided Discovery through a 250-degree left turn to line up on runway 15. The shuttle Discovery touches down on runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center.

(Credit: NASA) Pilot Eric Boe then deployed the ship's landing gear and the 204,000-pound shuttle swooped to a tire-smoking touchdown on runway 15 at 11:57:17 a.m. EST (GMT-5). Lindsey had no problems with a stiff 25-knot headwind and a few moments later, NASA's oldest surviving space shuttle rolled to a halt, wrapping up a career spanning some 5,750 orbits, 148 million miles and 365 days in space during 39 missions since its maiden launch in August 1984. "And Houston, Discovery, for the final time, wheels stopped," Lindsey radioed flight controllers in Houston. "Discovery, Houston, great job by you and your crew," replied astronaut Charles Hobaugh in mission control. "That was a great landing in tough conditions and it was an awesome docked mission you all had. You were able to take Discovery up to a full 365 days of actual time on orbit. I think you'd call that a fleet leader and a leader of any manned vehicle for time in orbit.

So job well done." With only two more missions left on NASA's shuttle manifest -- a flight by Endeavour in April and a final voyage by Atlantis in late June -- Discovery's landing marked the beginning of the end for the world's most complex -- and expensive to operate -- manned rocket. "We're seeing a program come to a close here and to see these shuttles, these beautiful, magnificent flying machines end their service life is obviously a little bit sad for us," Barratt said earlier this week. "But it is about time, they've lived a very long time, they've had a fabulous success record, they've built this magnificent space station, they've given us lots of science and a tremendous amount of experience of just how to operate in space. More than anything, we look forward to seeing them retire with dignity and bringing on the next line of spaceships." The shuttle Discovery races by, moments after landing at the Kennedy Space Center to wrap up its 39th and final mission.

(Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls) Lindsey, Boe, Barratt and their crewmates -- Nicole Stott and spacewalkers Stephen Bowen and Alvin Drew -- were welcomed home by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, space operations chief Bill Gerstenmaier, shuttle program manager John Shannon, Launch Director Mike Leinbach and scores of other agency managers and engineers who turned out for Discovery's final homecoming. "It's great to be back," Lindsey said on the runway. "Discovery launched and came back on this flight, just like my previous two flights on Discovery, with absolutely no liens against her, no single system with any problems whatsoever. ... It's because of the Kennedy Space Center work force here that takes care of this vehicle, it came back as perfect on its final flight as it did on its first flight. "This is a pretty bittersweet moment for all of us. As the minutes pass, I'm getting sadder and sadder about this being the last flight. And I know all the folks involved in the shuttle program feel the same way." Lindsey thanked Discovery's processing team for "giving us just a fantastic vehicle to fly.

It was a privilege to be in charge of her for just a couple of weeks and I'm sad to give her back. But I couldn't imagine giving her back into better hands than this group right here." The shuttle Discovery, moments before touchdown. (Credit: NASA). Over the course of an extended 13-day mission, Lindsey and his crewmates attached a final U.S. module to the International Space Station, delivered a spare set of radiator panels and an external stowage platform and transferred several tons of supplies and equipment to the lab complex. Bowen and Drew also staged two spacewalks to accomplish a variety of long-planned maintenance tasks. And the astronauts helped their station colleagues service a U.S. oxygen generator and a carbon dioxide removal system. "When we walk away from her on the runway after we land, there's going to be tears in my eyes, I know," Stott said of Discovery.

"I worked with her at Kennedy Space Center and the chance to fly (the last mission) has just been a real, real privilege." With Discovery safely back on Earth, engineers in the nearby Vehicle Assembly Building made final preparations to haul the shuttle Endeavour to launch pad 39A Thursday for work to ready the ship for its 25th and final launch April 19. If all goes well, NASA will close out the shuttle program by launching the Atlantis June 28 on a final space station resupply mission. Discovery's landing brought that long-awaited -- and to some, long-dreaded -- end game into sharp focus. Barratt captured the thoughts of many space workers when he reflected on the shuttle program's legacy from orbit. "I think about this space shuttle fleet like the clipper ships that were strong and fast and powerful, they did their jobs but they were also graceful and beautiful," he said. "They conjured up imagination, of foreign travel, exotic places, of exploration. And Discovery is just an elite member of this elite fleet. "The clippers faded, and it was because there was an alternative, there was another ship that was coming in -- steam power -- that was stronger, faster perhaps, but not quite as beautiful.

"We have the legacy of the clippers in our shuttle fleet and it's a legacy that everybody who's ever touched these vehicles should be extremely proud of," he said. "I think the only problem area there is we don't have that follow on, we're not replacing the shuttle with something and I think that's what makes it a little bit sad for us." At the same time, he said, "it is a time to celebrate." "The legacy this spaceship has made for herself is just nothing more than cause for celebration, she's returned so much science, so much experience and the experience that we as crew members have had has just been marvelous and again, something our country should be very, very proud of." The end of the line: Discovery is towed back to its processing hangar for decommissioning. (Credit: NASA TV). In the wake of the 2003 Columbia disaster, the Bush administration ordered NASA to complete the International Space Station and retire the shuttle by the end of fiscal 2010, a target that eventually slipped to June because of a variety of technical issues.

The idea was to free up money to develop a new generation of safer, lower-cost rockets and spacecraft to carry astronauts back to the moon by the early 2020s. But the Bush administration never fully funded the proposed Constellation moon program and President Obama concluded it was not affordable. He ordered NASA to help private industry develop commercial spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the space station while the agency focuses on deep space exploration. How that strategy will play out in the ongoing budget debate is not yet clear. But for the next several years, until a new rocket debuts to replace the shuttle, the only way for U.S. astronauts to reach orbit will be to hitch rides aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft. "We won't do anything nearly as complex with another vehicle for a very long time," Drew said Tuesday.

"Five or 10 years from now, they're going to look back and say 'how did we ever build a vehicle that could do all these things?' "This was a pretty bold and audacious thing to put together back in the 1970s and I just don't know if we have that audacity now to build something nearly as ambitious as the shuttle." Over the next few months, Discovery will be decommissioned and ultimately turned into a museum display. NASA has not yet announced where the orbiters will end up, but it's widely expected that one of them will be displayed at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. The contract authorizing construction of Discovery was awarded Jan. 29, 1979, and initial work to begin building the crew module began the following August. The spacecraft was completed at North American Rockwell's Palmdale, Calif., plant in October 1983 and was ferried to the Kennedy Space Center Nov. 9, 1983. Following an on-pad main engine test firing June 2, 1984, NASA attempted to launch Discovery on its maiden voyage the following June 26.

But in a moment of high drama, the shuttle's main engines shut down seconds after ignition because of a sluggish fuel valve. The problem was corrected, and commander Henry Hartsfield and his crew, including Challenger astronaut Judith Resnik, finally blasted off Aug. 30, 1984, on a successful mission to deploy three commercial communications satellites and to test space station construction techniques. Over the next 26 and a half years and 39 flights, Discovery carried out four military missions, two Spacelab science flights, two visits to the Russian Mir space station, one Mir docking and 13 missions to the International Space Station. At least 24 civilian and military satellites were carried into space, including the Hubble Space Telescope. Discovery also flew the return-to-flight missions following the 1986 destruction of the shuttle Challenger and the 2003 loss of Columbia. In addition, two stranded communications satellites were plucked out of orbit by spacewalking astronauts and brought back to Earth for repairs in November 1984 in what many veterans consider the most daring shuttle mission ever attempted.

"When you really look at the space shuttle and its capability, it can do everything, everything you can think of in space except for one thing, it can't leave low-Earth orbit, but it can do everything else," Lindsey said in a NASA interview "It can do robotics. It can do science. It can go dock. When you dock with the space station, in the end you have to maintain a three-inch corridor and one degree of attitude error and you can easily fly the shuttle manually and maintain that. I mean, that's unbelievable for a 120-ton vehicle. "I don't think there's going to be another one that's ever going to match the versatility of the space shuttle, and I think that's the legacy."

Question: Currently, the oldest flying space shuttle in the fleet, which shuttle was launched last week on mission STS-133 to the International Space Station?
Answer: Discovery